Chapter 6: The Predator's Invitation
The "Viral Invitation" strategy worked better than Leo had anticipated. On a Saturday morning, the VR-Net didn't just buzz; it screamed.
Five of the top-tier "Logic-Streamers"—people who usually spent eight hours a day solving complex calculus puzzles for an audience—received a black, encrypted file. Inside was a simple message: [DO YOU WANT TO FEEL?]
By noon, the #1 streamer in Sector 1, a man known as 'Cortex-7', went live. Instead of his usual grid-puzzles, his audience saw a hyper-realistic forest under a dying sun. Within minutes, Cortex-7 was hyperventilating as he hid behind a rock, the sound of a rival player's footsteps crunching on the digital leaves nearby.
"I can hear him," Cortex whispered to his ten million viewers, his eyes wide with a terror they had never seen. "I can actually hear the direction of his breathing! This isn't a sim... this is a hunt!"
When he was finally "killed" by a precision shot from a hidden sniper, Cortex-7 didn't get angry. He sat in his chair, sweating, his hands shaking with an adrenaline high he had never experienced in his life.
"Again," he gasped. "I have to go again."
The Corporate Shadow
While the digital world was catching fire, the physical world brought a colder reality.
Leo stood in the lobby of the 'Azure Heights' complex, waiting for the school transport. He was dressed in a standard high-tier student uniform, but he wore it with a grace that made the expensive fabric look like armor.
A sleek, silver sedan with darkened windows pulled up to the curb. It wasn't the school transport.
The back door opened, and a man stepped out. He was in his fifties, with silver hair and a smile that didn't reach his cybernetic eyes. He held a badge that shimmered with the Zenith Dynamics logo.
"Leo Thorne," the man said, his voice a smooth, corporate purr. "My name is Marcus Vane. I'm the Head of Talent Acquisition for Zenith. We've been looking for the person behind the 'Monopoly' IP. It took some doing, but your Aunt Elena's digital footprint is quite distinctive."
Leo didn't move. He didn't show fear. "You're trespassing on private residential property, Mr. Vane."
Vane chuckled, walking closer until he was in Leo's personal space. He tried to project an air of dominance, but he was surprised to find himself looking slightly up at the teenager.
"Let's skip the pleasantries," Vane said, lowering his voice. "We know you wrote the 'Silent Ward' engine. We know you're testing a battle-royale protocol. Zenith wants to buy your entire portfolio for ten million credits. You'll get a scholarship to the Sector 1 Academy and a guaranteed seat on our Board of Developers when you turn eighteen."
It was an offer that would make any slum-rat faint with joy. But Leo just looked at him with an expression of mild boredom.
"Ten million?" Leo asked. "You're insulting me, Mr. Vane. The 'Silent Ward' generated three million in revenue in its first week with zero marketing. By my calculations, Sector Zero will be worth a billion before the end of the quarter."
Vane's smile twitched. "A billion? Kid, you're talented, but you don't own the servers. You don't own the satellite nodes. If Zenith decides you don't exist, your game disappears from the Net in a heartbeat."
"Then you'd better start deleting," Leo said, stepping around him. "But I should warn you—I've already programmed a 'Dead-Man's Switch'. If the Monopoly servers are forcibly shut down, the source code for the 'Neuro-Adrenaline Sync' will be leaked to every underground hacker collective in the world. Your monopoly on 'Safe VR' would end in a single night."
Vane froze. His cybernetic eyes whirred as they processed the threat. This wasn't a teenager; this was a black-market genius with a knife at the throat of the industry.
"You're playing with fire, Leo," Vane hissed.
"I am the fire," Leo replied, not looking back as he boarded the school transport.
The Household Guard
When Leo returned home that evening, the atmosphere in the apartment was electric.
Elena was pacing the living room, a glass of wine in her hand. "Vane called me. He was screaming, Leo. He said you threatened to crash the entire VR industry. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I've established our position," Leo said, sitting on the sofa.
Sarah came over, sitting beside him. She noticed the tension in his shoulders and began to rub them. Her hands were soft now, the factory callouses gone. "Leo, I'm scared. These people... they have private security forces. They don't play by the rules."
"That's why we're changing the rules, Mom," Leo said. He leaned back into her touch, his eyes closing for a moment.
Maya walked into the room, wearing her VR-suit. She looked at her mother's hands on Leo's shoulders, and a flicker of something sharp—jealousy—crossed her face. She walked over and sat on Leo's other side, leaning her head on his arm.
"The Alpha-test hit 100,000 concurrent players an hour ago," Maya whispered, her voice full of triumph. "The servers are holding, but the demand is insane. People are selling their 'Sector Zero' invite keys for five thousand credits each."
[叮! Mission Progress: 100,000 Concurrent Players Reached!]
[Reward: Neuro-Adrenaline Sync (Active) + Massive Server Farm Access.]
Leo felt a surge of cold, mental clarity. The System was unlocking the next tier of his potential.
"Elena," Leo said, his eyes snapping open. They seemed to glow with a faint, digital blue light. "Stop worrying about Zenith. Buy the 'Aethelgard' server cluster. Use the revenue from today. By tomorrow, we won't be using Zenith's satellite nodes. We'll be using our own."
Elena stopped pacing. She looked at her nephew—this seventeen-year-old boy who was successfully holding a gun to the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation. She felt a shiver of excitement.
"If we do this," Elena said, her voice dropping to a whisper, "there's no going back. We're declaring war on the status quo."
"Good," Leo said. He looked at Sarah and Maya, the two women who were now leaning on him as their sun and their center. "I didn't come to this world to play by the rules. I came to own the game."
[叮! Favorability Update:]
Sarah Thorne: 60/100 (Absolute Trust)
Maya Thorne: 55/100 (Developing Obsession)
Elena Thorne: 42/100 (Professional Submission)
Outside, the first rain of the season began to fall on Sector 2, washing away the scent of artificial pine. The hunt was no longer digital; it was real.